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Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

The five natural zones of Tajikistan are foothill plains, low mountains and valleys, mid-high mountains, light forest and forest and high mountains with snow and glacier. Excluding insects, these five zones contain 23,000 species of flora and fauna, 1900 of which are endemic. About 30% of the country has been transformed into agricultural or urban ecosystems, and 22% is designated as protected areas. Annually, about 35-50 tonnes of medicinal plants such as plantain, Ungernia Victoris, St. John wort, mint, elecampane, nettle and others are prepared. Rare and endangered mammals include the argali, snow leopard, and Siberian ibex, whereas the Bukhara red deer, the Persian gazelle, the Siberian mountain goat, and the Tajik markhor are listed as vulnerable species in the 1988 Tajikistan Red Data Book. A number of birds are equally endangered, including several species of waders, birds of prey, pheasants, cranes, plovers, pigeons, and swifts. Nearly half of the species of the mid-mountain forest ecosystems are considered endangered because of habitat loss. The causes of biodiversity loss include conversion of land, poaching, poor management of protected areas, and non-implementation of biotechnical projects for restoration of endangered species, habitats, and ecosystems. Illegal and unregulated hunting over many years has endangered about 50% of mammals and 45% of the reptiles in the country.

Number and Extent of Protected Areas

Tajikistan has established 21 protected areas, which account for 22% of its total land area. In addition, Tajikistan has 5 wetland sites of international importance.

Percentage of Forest Cover

Forests in Tajikistan cover 410,000 ha and other wooded areas cover 142,000 ha.

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

The National Strategy and Action Plan envisage: determining strategic trends of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management; determining the country needs in biological diversity use; developing mechanisms and principles of sustainable use and conservation; analyzing the present state of biological diversity; determining the place and role of biological diversity in the global ecosystem; determining the role of the public in developing careful attitudes towards biological diversity; and determining new funding priorities. The components of the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy include complex economic and social evaluation of national biological resources; regeneration and conservation of the genetic pool of plants and animals; in-situ and ex-situ biodiversity conservation; providing biological safety of the country; sustainable use of biological resources to reduce poverty and to improve quality of human life. The Action Plan is to be implemented in a short-term (5 years), medium-term (10 years), and long-term (over 10 years) period. The main objectives of the Action Plan implementation are: developing all-national measures on the main issues of biological diversity and realizing relevant measures in particular regions of the Republic.
 

• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 1 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 1 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 2 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 2 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 3 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 3 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 4 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 4 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 5 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 5 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 6 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 6 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 7 (English)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 7 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 8 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 9 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 10 (Russian)
• National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan Part 11 (Russian)

Implementation of the Convention

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target

To conserve biodiversity, Tajikistan has adopted the following instruments: Law on Nature Protection (1993); National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2003); State Program for Protected Areas Development (2005); State Program for Forestry Development (2006); and National Environmental Action Plan (2006). There is also the Law on Biological Safety (2005), which regulates activities on development, testing, production, import, export and release into the environment and at markets of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and aims to reduce the risk posed by GMOs on human health, biodiversity, ecological balance and environmental status. To improve the rare and endangered species conservation, the Tajik Government approved legislation regulating flora and fauna management, as well as implementing a series of projects and concrete measures. Various agricultural laws specify the need to conserve genetic diversity, especially of the economically important species. National agricultural laws stipulate the need for rational use and conservation of wild relatives of fruits by the local population for cultivation of new varieties of fruits, nuciferous, grapes, and berries. Also, relevant measures have been undertaken to prevent extinction of species, varieties, and flora and fauna inside and outside protected areas.

Initiatives in Protected Areas

As of 2005, Tajikistan had created a network of protected areas consisting of 4 nature reserves, 14 species management protected areas (zakasniks), 2 national parks and 1 historical park, along with a series of recreation and tourist zones. Nature protected areas of Tajikistan occupy 22% of the country’s total land area. The Government of the country has recently issued a special decision on “Program on Protected Areas Development in 2005-2015.” This document covers issues including: the creation of new PAs; strengthening the PAs institutional and human capacity; conducting ecological restoration works; and harmonizing the national legislation with the international biodiversity conventions.

Initiatives for Article 8(j)

The country has stipulated in several laws on environmental protection general provisions concerning the rights of the general public, including farmers, indigenous and local communities, to environmental information and participation in decision making processes. Related workshops and training activities have been organized in almost every region of the country.